Tec and Stanford: 3 years of social innovation in digital magazine

March 2024 marked three years since Tec de Monterrey started publishing the digital magazine Standford Social Innovation Review en Español (SSIRñ).

The Tec’s Director of Sustainable Development and Outreach, Cynthia Villarreal, who is in charge of this publication, discussed the importance of fostering social innovation.

“Tec de Monterrey acknowledges its joint responsibility for the sustainable development of our communities and therefore recognizes that the knowledge exchange and diffusion of social innovation is an essential tool.

“This publishing partnership allows us to reach Spanish speakers and give them access to this information,” she said.

Although the magazine is more than 20 years old and its content is originally in English, there was a need to reach out to the Spanish-speaking community on issues of social innovation, said editor-in-chief Andrea Gonzalez.

“We have a mission to foster social innovation and make it accessible for the Spanish-speaking community. Although the magazine was originally in English, a Spanish edition was important as part of a global effort.

“Another of our missions is to promote the work and good practices of social innovation in our region through original articles published by the magazine in Spanish,” she said.

Stanford Social Innovation Review en Español is a digital magazine that has been published quarterly since 2021.

On 2 September 2020, Tec de Monterrey signed a publishing license agreement with Stanford University to reach out to the Spanish-speaking region.

This edition also offers talks, webinars, a fortnightly newsletter, and audiovisual content on its social media.

“We were very successful in our talks that included experts with different perspectives, delving into good practices from a conversational approach.

“Talks are another approach to learning experiences, not only with articles but also with some experts who can give valuable content and knowledge through learning experiences,” she added.

Tec professors share their knowledge

Since its launch, they have reached more than 400,000 readers, with more than 280 articles translated into Spanish and 15 original articles in Spanish.

“We translate the articles that best suit our region from the English magazine, which has 20 years of prestige and a large number of collections.

“In addition to translating into Spanish and editing, we publish original articles by Spanish-speaking authors, who provide a better understanding of social innovation in Latin America and Spain,” says Andrea González.

Four of the original articles were written by Tec professors.

One of these was “Using ‘Purple Glasses’ to Achieve Gender Equity in Mexico” by professors Patricia Torres and Lumi Velázquez.

“Túmin: A Currency for Local Development” was a financial article by Professor Mildred Berrelleza.

“Feathers Painting Skies: Integrating Local Communities with Conservation” was written by Professor Angel Cabrera on bird conservation.

Professor Martín González contributed the article on education called “A New Education for a New Economy.”

“We have a mission to foster social innovation and make it accessible for the Spanish-speaking community.” - Andrea González, Editor-in-Chief

Spread the news about social innovation!

As part of its third anniversary, digital Stanford Social Innovation Review en Español has launched a call to invite people to donate so that the magazine can continue promoting this type of information.

“Our crowdfunding campaign is a collective effort, and we need the support of all our readers and the community we have nurtured over the past three years.

“It was created first and foremost to celebrate three years of knowledge and has inspired more than 400,000 readers during this time,” said Carla Aguilar, the magazine’s editor-in-chief.

How to donate?

• Visit https://ssires.tec.mx/es/donar
• Choose where you will donate from: Mexico or anywhere else in the world.
• Enter the amount you wish to donate.
• Choose the frequency of your donation: monthly or a one-off payment.
• Fill in your details and include whether you want it to be tax deductible.
• Click ‘I join’ and you will be supporting the dissemination of social innovation.

Social innovation: everyone’s responsibility

Innovation is for everyone, regardless of country of origin or age, Aguilar said.

“Making it clear that innovation is for everyone, regardless of age, nationality or education is one of the magazine’s main challenges and missions.

“Innovation and social impact includes all of us and we can all be part of the solution. The magazine’s main objective is to take social innovation out of high-level university or corporate environments and bring it into everyday life,” she said.

In the latest edition, which can be downloaded for free, you will find articles related to the fashion industry, inclusion of people with disabilities, and equity and gender, among other topics.

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